Fujoshi Are Not the Enemy

The recent “Sexy Swimming” commercial released by Kyoto Animation offshoot Animation Do has sparked some controversy within the fandom. Some moé fans feel betrayed by the simple idea that KyoAni might do an anime that isn’t moé. Further than that, they feel disgusted that not only might they do something not moé, they might do something that caters specifically to fujoshi, as seen with the commercial.

This has caused somewhat of a rift between moé fans and fujoshi, but this isn’t the way it has to be.

Let me start off by saying that I love fujoshi. I admire the passion with which they engage with their media, and they’re altogether fun to be around and talk to. That said, I’m incredibly disappointed at the reaction some moé fans have had toward KyoAni’s commercial. It’s disappointing that there is a contingent of people within our ranks that still has a “boys only club” mentality regarding KyoAni anime, and it’s disappointing that, within the fanbase of an element that’s so deeply based in love, there are people capable of such contempt and scorn for fans who enjoy the same thing, but in a different way.

Fujoshi are moé fans. The moé they enjoy is different than the moé that male moé fans enjoy, but the core is still the same; it’s still moé. Why fight? Why antagonize? Neither side is a threat to the other. In fact, both sides are probably more similar to each other than the other realizes. We should be supporting one another. We should be sharing our passion with one another.

Some seem to be afraid that KyoAni might commit resources to creating a fujoshi show, and with their track record of only putting out two shows a year, think that something would be taken away from them if that happened.

So what?

So what if there’s one less moé show on the anime season list? So what if we miss one KyoAni show? There are always plenty of other moé-heavy shows each season. KyoAni doesn’t belong to moé fans. Besides, anime isn’t a zero-sum game. One fandom’s gain isn’t another fandom’s loss.

Quite frankly, it makes us look bad. It makes the moé fanbase look hateful, selfish, and sexist. It gives the Anti-Moé Brigade something to point at and say “Look, look! They’re hating on fujoshi! I told you they were sexist! I told you they want all anime to themselves!” It confirms the accusations commonly thrown at the moé fandom by the Anti-Moé Brigade. In fact, those who hold fujoshi in contempt are really no better than the Anti-Moé Brigade.

This hostility between moé fans will only serve to splinter the moé fanbase, which is something we can’t afford. All moé fans, otaku and fujoshi, can coexist in the fandom without infighting. If we don’t come together, the Anti-Moé Brigade will pick us apart.

7 thoughts on “Fujoshi Are Not the Enemy”

I honestly don’t get why there is such an uproar over this sort of thing. An animation company should make what ever type of show they feel like. They shouldn’t limit their fanbase to a certain niche. To me, this sort of backlash would make about as much sense as hating on Studio Deen for making more Hetalia rather than another Kore wa Zombie Desu ka.

Though, to be fair, I’ve mentioned this before, but KyoAni’s input has been going for more quantity>quality as of lately, given that most of what they’ve been putting out has been nonstop. Out of those shows, I found only Chuunibyo Demo Koi ga Shitai to be the most enjoyable, unlike Hyouka and Tamago Market, which I found to be rather boring. Even then, I would be OK if KyoAni took a different route and made something quite different. As I mentioned before, it’s better to appeal to different niches.

BTW, I quite liked that commercial, especially given the animation quality is still there.

I think the whole thing was blown out of proportion because this commercial was just that, a commercial. And even if it turn out to be a full blown series, so what? Fujoshi need to be catered to just as moe fan has been. There’s other moe anime to look forward to as well.

@Jof12788
I’d agree that KyoAni has started to miss more often. I enjoyed both Hyouka and Chuunibyo Demo Koi ga Shitai, but neither were as good as some of their best shows, like Clannad, Haruhi, and K-ON!. I’d enjoy seeing them branch out and do something different. It might work for them.

———-
I think a common misconception about the moé fandom (incidentally, a misconception propagated heavily by the Anti-Moé Brigade) is that we only enjoy moé anime and want all anime to be moé, which is only true for very few of us, if any. In fact, a lot of us either would fully support more of the Anti-Moé Brigade’s type of anime coming out, or are indifferent enough about it to just not watch it. The people complaining about fujoshi shows possibly getting made are an extreme minority, but the Anti-Moé Brigade has latched onto that as an excuse to continue their campaign against moé.